Sacrifice
by BornOnTheBreakOfDawn
Summary: What else am I willing to give when I myself am worthless? My own take or prediction for FMA's ending in the manga. Contains spoilers from chap 107 and fmab 5th opening theme. Rated for language and other themes.


Sacrifice

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Spoiler warning: Bits from Chapter 107 and Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood's 5th Opening

* * *

In a vast field of nothingness, a young man, with long golden tresses tied up in a braid, has fallen into brief unconsciousness. He breathes, yet barely, due to the numerous amounts of deep and profusely bleeding wounds covering his whole body. He stirs, slowly gaining awareness of his present state. He flinched at the stabbing pain from his wounds as he moved. He slowly got up, his eyes scanning the area he currently occupies.

"Where am I -" he started, but when his eyes caught a sight that brought back his troubled past; his breath got caught in his throat. He still felt the trauma, despite all the years since the 'incident' happened.

In all its glory stood the Gate. Shock and fear were evident in his eyes, but they soon turned into anger as he remembered that this was the exact place he wanted to be in order to get his brother back and settle a score with -

"Oh, awake I see. Welcome back, Fullmetal Alchemist." An indescribable figure stepped into his line of sight, sitting in front of him with a mocking smile on its face.

All the pain that the young alchemist felt before vanished instantly, his focus dead set on the 'being' facing him.

"Truth..."

"Glad to see you still remember me, Edward."

If he were in a better mood, he would have smirked or given a sarcastic retort. However, at this very moment, Edward Elric is in the foulest of moods since he is still recovering from the battle with Father. Oh yes, speaking of Father -

"How did I get here? I'm pretty sure I was kicking that Father's sorry ass in Central."

"I'll leave it to your memory to answer that eventually, since I don't want to trouble myself answering something as trivial as that. Now then, even though you forgot how you got here, I'm sure you remember your intention for coming."

Edward smiled sarcastically. "Well, that leaves me to cut to the chase. Hand him over."

Truth grinned, "Hand who over?"

Edward started seething. "You know who, Truth. Just hand him over."

The 'being' continued feigning ignorance."I have no idea whom you are talking about."

The young alchemist lunged towards Truth, but was stopped by some unseen force.

"What the-?"

"Oh, I can't let you do whatever you were planning. Know your place, Edward. You're in _my_ territory."

"Oh, just shut the fuck up! Give Alphonse back to me!"

Truth acted like it was surprised. Then it laughed. "Oh, you want to get Alphonse? Why didn't you say so in the first place? He's just there." The 'being' held out its thumb, pointing to a frail looking boy.

"Alphonse!"

"Brother!"

The siblings were about to be reunited when again, the unseen force that stopped Edward before stopped the younger brother from trying to get near him as well.

Truth wagged its index finger, like a mother disciplining her child.

"Na-a-ah, you can get him back, Fullmetal. But -"

"But – what?"

Truth again grinned. "You know how I work, Edward. Both you and your brother have experienced that."

"You mean Equivalent Trade? I have to pay something again in retrieving my brother?

The grin did not waver.

"Well, at least you lived up to your title as a 'prodigy'. You figured out that much."

Edward gritted his teeth. "WHAT ELSE DO I HAVE TO GIVE UP FOR? WASN'T OUR JOURNEY AND OUR STRUGGLES ENOUGH FOR PAYMENT?"

Truth fell silent for a moment, but smiled wickedly at the older Elric brother.

"Those don't equal to the price for retrieving Alphonse. You've got something else in exchange for all those. You managed to find clues, leading to your situation right now. You're only one step away from getting what you've always wanted..."

"DAMN IT! I DEFEATED FATHER, DIDN'T I? DOESN'T THAT EQUAL TO ANYTHING, LIKE GETTING OUR NORMAL BODIES BACK?"

"That is also different. You just beat the bad guy and you saved the world. That's the equal trade."

Edward was hesitant to voice out his next proposition, but if he wanted to save his younger brother, he'd do anything. "I managed to sacrifice my arm for him before. Can't you take it again in exchange for getting him back?"

"Brother!" Alphonse yelled, "you promised me we are going to get back to normal together! Don't do that!"

"Al! If it's the only way, I'll do it! I don't mind living with automail for the rest of my life if it means having you back to your old self again."

Truth clapped at the exchange mockingly, then laughed. "Oh what a heartwarming scene of brotherly love! Well, I'm speaking as if I felt it – _not_."

Truth looked like it was pondering on something. "You were half right though. You managed to pull back his soul in exchange for your arm. But, that's all. Your arm is the equivalent trade for your brother's soul – excluding the body. You need to give me something that would be of the same value to your brother's whole self."

"If that's the case, I'll give my whole self as the trade."

"Brother!"

Truth laughed again. "Ha! Why do I need a crippled boy like you? Though you got your arm back, how about your leg? You're not whole; you're still lacking. If I take you as payment, Alphonse could return with his normal body but he'd be missing a leg, like you. Do you want that?"

Edward didn't want Alphonse to live any life other than normal. If he loses his leg, he'll need automail surgery, making him undergo the pain that the older brother felt. He didn't want his younger brother to feel pain anymore.

"Well, Fullmetal Alchemist?"

"No, I don't want that! I want Al to be back in shape, complete and healthy."

"That's what I thought you'd say."

"If none of those ideas are acceptable, what else can I give?"

"Hmm..." The 'being' pondered on this again. "Well, there's something you can use as payment."

"What is it?"

"Something that has to be as precious as your brother."

"What can match up to that?" Ed asked.

"Love."

"What?"

"You heard me, I said it's Love."

"What does Love have anything to do with this? A petty emotion such as that is the equivalence of my brother's whole being?"

"Who says I'm taking an emotion? I'm taking a person."

The older Elric's eyes widened. "A person, what do you mean?"

"You have someone who is as precious as your brother. Someone you love very much, though you're not entirely aware of it – yet. And also, to get your brother's whole body, I need someone whole as well. The particular person I have in mind will be the perfect payment."

"Who are you talking about? There's no one I consider as precious as my brother. Except for my mother, but she's already gone. Plus, if I had to sacrifice someone for our personal gain, I'll be breaking mine and Al's resolve not to involve anyone else in our problems."

"Oh, the person I'm talking about has already been involved with you brothers, ever since the day you met, years ago."

"Stop beating around the bush and just tell me!"

Truth gave an evil smile. "Perhaps a clue? You can figure it out by yourself, anyway."

Surprisingly for the siblings, the 'being' started to shift into a different, feminine looking form. When the figure was finished, it held out its hands, seeming to be preparing for an embrace, then uttered a name with a voice so familiar to the state alchemist's ears.

"Edward..." the feminine figure called out to him.

It was then Ed felt his eyes widen and fear started to course through his veins. 'No, he wouldn't...not her...' Edward tried to reach for the figure, yelling at the top of his lungs, "NO! NOT WINRY!"

The figure faded and changed back to its original form. Truth stepped forward to Edward, sitting in front of him. The older Elric, on the other hand, was oblivious to the movement, keeping his head down and hugging himself, seeming to ward off any cold he felt.

And then, tears starting to fall from the alchemist's eyes. He kept murmuring to himself over and over. "No...not her...not Winry...please..."

Truth spoke up, harsh and direct. "Give Winry Rockbell to me, and your brother will return to you in normal condition. But your leg doesn't come with the package, only your brother."

Ed kept his head low, his bangs covering his eyes, trying to hide the sadness pooling in them. But he eventually spoke. "No."

"What do you mean, '_no_'?"

"I meant, 'No, _you can't take Winry_'! I couldn't live with myself if I put her life in danger just for a selfish cause. I've already put her through too much hell. I don't want to lose her."

"But keeping her and not getting your brother back is selfish, too."

Edward knew his heart was torn. Alphonse could sense the inner struggle his older brother was experiencing. He too felt torn by such a price. "It's unfair."

Both Edward and Truth looked in his direction. He kept talking.

"It's truly unfair. Why is there always two – only two – choices that we have to take? Choosing either would hurt us. Where's the law of equivalency in that?"

The 'being' went into deep thought after hearing this. Silence lingered for a few moments until Truth spoke up. "What if you two are not the ones making the decision?"

The brothers looked at each other in question. Then Edward diverted his gaze back to Truth. "Huh? What are you trying to get at?"

"I'm just saying, what if you two are not going to choose the payment? How about the girl doing it for you instead?"

Both brothers gasped. "I WILL NOT LET HER GET INVOLVED IN THIS MATTER ANY LONGER! SHE DOESN'T DESERVE THIS!" Edward yelled.

Truth just shrugged. "Suit yourself. Though you consider me cruel, I am never unfair. She has every right to know about this, since she's one of the possible choices for your payment."

"STOP TALKING ABOUT HER LIKE SHE'S JUST SOME KIND OF MERCHANDISE!"

"Brother!"

"What, Alphonse?"

He fell silent before speaking up. "I think, Truth is right about letting Winry decide. I mean, she does have a right to know since she's already been involved in this. Plus, this way, no one will take the direct blame because everybody would come to a compromise with her choice. We both know that she's a stubborn, yet wise, girl. She'll get what she wants, if she thinks it's right. So, just do what Truth says. Though it hurts too much."

Edward swore he felt his eyes widen as big as saucers. Then he started to glare at his brother while pondering on the statement he has given. His reasoning seemed logical; Winry has every right to make this choice. However, as he begins to accept this, he felt frustrated at himself that he couldn't think of any other way to stop this from happening. No matter what her decision might be, both parties would still hurt from the outcome. But, there was one question that had bugged him after he heard Truth's desired payment.

"Why her?"

Truth smirked.

"Other than Alphonse and your mother, she's a very important person in your life."

"Why do you say that?"

The 'being' sighed, "And I thought you're a genius."

"WHAT THE -"

"You love her, don't you?"

That made Edward stop whatever he was about to say. He felt a strange wave of deja vu wash over him. He recalled that Hawkeye had once asked him the same question some time during the past.

"_You love Winry, don't you?"_

He knew what his feelings for her are, but he's not about to voice them out – not now anyway. So he did what he thought best to cover it up. Deny it.

"I have no idea what you are talking about. True, I love her, she's my best friend; if that's what you mean."

Truth laughed. "Oh, you're forgetting whom you are talking to. I know the truth lying deep within your heart, Fullmetal. Don't bother covering it up, you're doing it pretty badly and I still can see through you."

Edward felt defeated and exposed. He clenched his fists so tightly that he felt his fingernails digging through his skin. He kept silent until Truth spoke up again. "So, you are now willing to let the Rockbell-girl make the decision?"

Edward stayed silent, and Alphonse was just waiting for a response from his brother.

"Well?"

Truth noticed the nod, just barely, but that was enough of an answer.

* * *

"Winry, are you alright?" An old lady asked with concern evident in her voice.

"Yes, Granny. Just a little woozy that's all. All this stress must have caught up with me. Maybe a nap would do the trick."

The female teen slowly went into her bedroom and slid under her covers, immediately shutting her eyes -

* * *

"Where am I?"

It was the first thing that crossed her mind when she opened her eyes and noticed her surroundings. It was pure white and quite vast, yet there was nothing in it. She was so completely engrossed in observing her environment that she didn't notice the 'being' that crept behind her.

"Welcome."

Such a simple word came from the newcomer's mouth, and yet, it brought fear in the young lady's heart. She immediately turned around to face the one who greeted her and was shocked to see an indescribable figure sitting in front of her, giving off such a weird smile that she felt shivers running down her spine. She tried to keep her cool, and tried to understand why she had come to such a place. All she remembered before was being at her home, about to take a short rest.

'That's right. I was sleeping. Perhaps this is just a dream -' her line of thought was derailed when the figure started to speak up again.

"So you're thinking that this is just a dream?" She surely felt shocked that it had read her mind but she tried her hardest to stay neutral. "Well, to answer your question, it's both a yes and a no. Yes, because I merged with your subconscious, making you come here. And no, because even though you can treat this as a dream, it's as real as you think it can get."

"I don't quite get you but I want to know why am I here? What is this place anyway? Who are you?"

The 'being' laughed. "Quite the curious type I see? Well, whatever. I'll tell you what you need to know."

* * *

The girl's eyes went wide at the news starting to sink in. Mixed emotions started to bottle up inside her, making her confused and afraid for what might be the outcome of such a situation.

"I'm – I'm the equivalent payment to retrieve Al's complete body back?"

Truth nodded.

"But – why?"

"To Edward Elric, you are as valuable as his brother, and it's by that you've become the perfect trade to get his brother back to normal."

"Did Edward – agree to that?"

"What he agreed to, was for me bringing you here to ask you directly for your decision on whether to comply with my conditions or not."

"So both Al and I's fate rest upon my hands when I make the decision, is that what you're saying?"

The being again nodded.

Winry thought long and hard on this. She kept silent, trying to get different perspectives of the situation. She kept thinking, until she finally made up her mind. Before voicing her thoughts, she gave a sigh.

"Well? Have you decided yet?" asked Truth.

"Can I at least talk to Ed, since he's going to 'use me' to get Al's body back, before answering you?"

The being smirked. "Sure you can, he's right behind you."

And exactly as it said, when Winry turned, she saw him. She saw Edward Elric.

Gold met blue and both lingered, staring for a moment before Winry recalled her purpose in talking to the older Elric brother. She walked towards him slowly until stopping a reasonable distance from him. Her eyes took in his battle wounds and scars, eventually noticing his flesh right arm. She smiled sadly.

"I see you got your arm back."

Ed was slightly surprised when he heard Winry speak first, but he responded calmly, "Yup, it's because of Al."

Winry nodded knowingly and gave a half-hearted chuckle. "So, that means you don't need my automail anymore."

At this Edward frowned. "No, I still need you, you idiot! Automail or not, I still need you."

She smiled at this, still sad but at least with a hint of warmth. "I'm glad that at least you need me more than just your mechanic."

"Winry, you're more than my mechanic, you're my best friend..." And he murmured something afterwards, thinking she couldn't hear it but she still caught it.

"You're the one I love."

With that confession, she made up her mind. She gave him a long and comforting embrace, later on kissing his cheek before retreating back to look into his eyes.

"Thank you."

She then pulled away from him, turning to face Truth once more.

"I've made my decision."

Ed's eyes went wide and anticipated her answer. He knew that whatever she says will still lead to heartache for all those people who care for them.

Truth just smirked. "Well? What do you say?"

She turned back to Edward for a bit and gave him a loving, yet sad smile. She then faced Truth again.

"Let Edward have Alphonse. I'm willing to become the payment."

Edward's heart was crushed. Though he knew of the consequences, it didn't ease the pain he was feeling that moment.

"Winry! No!"

The figure once again grinned.

"Very well then."

Winry's feet started to slowly disappear. Edward's eyes grew wide with fear.

"NO!"

The girl only painfully smiled at him, mouthing the words she has been wanting to say to him.

"_I love you..."_

It was then that Edward's tears started to fall and he wanted to go near her, but again the unseen force kept weighing him down.

Winry noticed, as her legs were starting to fade, a figure of a blond head was emerging at the opposite side, facing her. She then realized that it was Alphonse.

When she saw his real flesh face, she started to cry. Alphonse started to weep as well.

"I'm sorry..." He cried.

"Don't be. I made this decision. And see? You guys kept your promise. I'm crying tears of happiness because you got your body back."

Alphonse tried to reach for her and her to him as well, but her arms were also starting to fade away. It was only a matter of time before -

"Stop."

Everyone turned to find the source of the voice and saw a huge man with long golden hair, similar to the gold the Elric brothers have, and a beard framing his face.

"Hohenheim!" Edward called out first.

"Let that girl go, Truth."

The 'being' just grinned. "Well, well, well, if it isn't good ol' Hohenheim. How's the immortal life going for you?"

The said man just kept his cool and walked closer to all of them.

"I never wished for this, Truth. You know I didn't."

"Well, that's the price you had to pay for all those people in Xerxes. Well, anyways, what brings you here?"

Hohenheim had stopped a good distance from the group.

"What else? I'm getting back my sons, including their friend."

Truth just smirked. "Oh? And what would you be willing to pay me with?"

"Myself along with the 536, 329 souls residing within me. I'm guessing that would be enough to take back my sons' normal bodies, their friend, including the colonel's eyesight, and Miss Izumi's organs."

Ed felt a bit guilty for temporarily forgetting about the desire to retrieve his superior officer's sight and his teacher's organs, but his thoughts were cut short when his younger brother spoke up.

"But Dad, what would happen to those souls? Isn't it unfair for them to do something against their will?" Alphonse questioned.

The older man just smiled at his sons. "They're not doing this against their will. They all agreed to do this after fulfilling the task we had set out to do – defeating the Homunculus. We are satisfied with the outcome and I think we deserve our rest. I myself am happy to see my boys all grown up and strong. I'm proud of you both."

Hohenheim faced Truth again.

"Well, is my payment enough for everything I asked?"

The 'being' seemed to ponder on this long and hard, but it still came to the point of giving its answer. When Truth made the decision, it just shrugged and grinned. "A payment's a payment. Got nothing to complain with that."

Just then, Winry's body restored to its original form, and the process of deconstruction transferred to the Elric's father. He just smiled at her, speaking before he disappeared completely. "Take care of them – for both of us."

She knew who he was referring to. "I will."

Edward felt the force leaving him and he quickly ran towards his brother who was gradually having his body restored. The older brother shrugged off his coat to cover Al's form, considering they have female company with them. As Ed covered Al's body, they both looked at their disappearing father with sadness in their eyes, and although the older Elric hated to admit it, he is starting to forgive the man and show some gratitude for helping them not only with the Promised Day business, but also in getting Winry and Al back. Edward stood up and raised a hand at Hohenheim, seeming to wave goodbye.

"Thanks – old man."

Though it would not seem much, but considering it was Ed who said it, it's the closest one could get for Ed to recognize the man as his father, and Hohenheim didn't mind that. In fact, he was happy to hear the words escape his eldest son's lips. He turned away, feeling a stray tear fall from his eye, and whispered, "Trisha, I'm ready to come back to you."

And with that, Van Hohenheim's existence vanished.

* * *

"Edward? Edward, wake up..."

The young man stirred, slowly returning to the real world from his realm of dreams. He opened his eyes, though not immediately, as he was trying to adjust his sight to the lighting around him. As he let his eyes open and roam about, he saw a figure sitting next to him on the bed, staring and smiling at him lovingly.

He felt like smiling – in fact, he was. "I'd be happy if I wake up to a sight as lovely as this everyday."

The person sitting beside him simply blushed and looked away. "Shut up, Ed."

He laughed, knowing that she wasn't really angry at him, but rather was embarrassed by what he said. He carefully circled his arms around her small waist, holding her close to him, and taking in her sweet scent. He realized that if it weren't for his father, she wouldn't be with him at that very moment. He never felt so grateful in his entire life for the older man. Though there were still times that he despised him for the bad memories of the brothers' childhood, it didn't affect him as much as before. In fact, he eventually learned how to respect and forgive the man for all he did.

"Ed, is there something wrong? You're being quiet all of a sudden." Her voice brought him back to the present.

'_No use sulking on what has already happened. What's more important is here and now.'_

"There's no problem, Winry. I was just thinking of how lucky I am to be here with you."

She pulled away from him for a bit and laughed. This made him frown.

"What's so gosh-darn funny?"

"I couldn't believe that Edward Elric, the dense and unromantic Fullmetal Alchemist, would offer such cheesy comments. What's the world coming to?"

"Who says I'm dense and unromantic?"

Winry laughed again, "Me."

"Why you -"

He pulled her down with him on the bed and started a tickle fight with her. The room was filled with so much laughter until a newcomer had to break the moment.

"Hey you two, as much as I want to be an uncle, I think you should wait until you're a few years older to start another 'tickle' fight -"

Alphonse's speech got cut short when a pillow suddenly hit him squarely on the face.

"How about a pillow fight instead?" Winry responded while holding another pillow to be ready for another attack.

Al just grinned and took hold of the pillow that just got thrown in his face. "You're on!"

Before Ed had to join the fun, he looked at the scene and took every moment in. He smiled, but he got so caught up that he failed to notice the pillow flying towards his head. He noticed both Al and Winry trying to hold back their laughter but were clearly showing some great difficulty in doing it.

Edward grinned maniacally and took hold of a pillow of his own.

"Oh, you both are really going to get it!"

Yes, life was good.

* * *

The End

* * *

A/N: Finally! This is perhaps the only one-shot I wrote so far that took me so long to finish. You can clearly judge it from its length. It actually took me days to work on this. It's my own take or prediction for the next (probably the last) chapter of FMA. I included some ideas from the 5th FMA:B opening plus Truth's comment in chapter 107 asking Al what Ed might sacrifice next. I hope you enjoyed reading this!

Disclaimer: Hiromu Arakawa is the mommy of Ed and the rest of the gang. I'm just the neighbor, playing with her kids from time to time. :)

Date finished: May 27, 2010 (12:55 AM)

Additional A/N: Special thanks is given to my new beta-reader, Inuchron. :D


End file.
